front cover of As If the Land Owned Us
As If the Land Owned Us
An Ethnohistory of the White Mesa Utes
Robert S. McPherson
University of Utah Press, 2011

The Ute people of White Mesa have a long, colorful, but neglected history in the Four Corners region. Although they ranged into the Great Basin, Southwest, and parts of the Rocky Mountains as hunters, gatherers, and warriors, southeastern Utah was home. There they adapted culturally and physically to the austere environment while participating in many of the well-known events of their times.

In As If the Land Owned Us, Robert McPherson has gathered the wisdom of White Mesa elders as they imparted knowledge about their land—place names, uses, teachings, and historic events tied to specific sites—providing a fresh insight into the lives of these little-known people. While there have been few published studies about the Southern Utes, this ethnohistory is the first to mix cultural and historic events. The book illustrates the life and times of the White Mesa Utes as they faced multiple changes to their lifeways. It is time for their history to be told in their terms.
 

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front cover of Dinéjí Na`nitin
Dinéjí Na`nitin
Navajo Traditional Teachings and History
Robert S. McPherson
University Press of Colorado, 2012
Traditional teachings derived from stories and practices passed through generations lie at the core of a well-balanced Navajo life. These teachings are based on a very different perspective of the physical and spiritual world than that found in general American culture. Dinéjí Na`nitin is an introduction to traditional Navajo teachings and history for a non-Navajo audience, providing a glimpse into this unfamiliar domain and illuminating the power and experience of the Navajo worldview.

Historian Robert McPherson discusses basic Navajo concepts such as divination, good and evil, prophecy, and metaphorical thought, as well as these topics' relevance in daily life, making these far-ranging ideas accessible to the contemporary reader. He also considers the toll of cultural loss on modern Navajo culture as many traditional values and institutions are confronted by those of dominant society. Using both historical and modern examples, he shows how cultural change has shifted established views and practices and illustrates the challenge younger generations face in maintaining the beliefs and customs their parents and grandparents have shared over generations.

This intimate look at Navajo values and customs will appeal not only to students and scholars of Native American studies, ethnic studies, and anthropology but to any reader interested in Navajo culture or changing traditional lifeways.

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front cover of Navajo Tradition, Mormon Life
Navajo Tradition, Mormon Life
The Autobiography and Teachings of Jim Dandy
Robert S. McPherson
University of Utah Press, 2012

Born in the early 1940s in northern Arizona’s high country desert, Jim Dandy began life imbued with the traditions of the Navajo people. Raised by his father and grandfather—both medicine men—and a grandmother steeped in Navajo practices, he embraced their teachings and followed in their footsteps. But attending the LDS Placement program in northern Utah changed his life’s course when he became a member of the Mormon Church. Following graduation from high school, Jim served an LDS mission among his people, obtained a bachelor’s degree, and entered the work force in southeastern Utah as a career counselor, teacher, and community advocate who improved educational opportunities on the Navajo Reservation.

Jim has led a life of service and teaching. He maintains the traditional philosophy with which he was raised and the Mormon beliefs that he learned and continues to follow; his life reflects the values inherent in these two different worlds. Readers interested in Navajo philosophy will find his blend of these two distinct views fascinating, while others will better understand the effects of the controversial placement program on the life of one individual. However, this is primarily the warm story of a man’s life among his people and his love for them and their culture.
 

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front cover of Navajo Women of Monument Valley
Navajo Women of Monument Valley
Preservers of the Past
Robert S. McPherson
University Press of Colorado, 2021

"McPherson, through this oral history of Navajo Women living in Monument Valley, provides a unique story of cultural understanding specific to the area. From personal experience and a shared heritage, these women explain their early struggles in life, religious beliefs and sacred teachings, daily activities of a traditional family, and later, battling against cultural loss. Today's rapidly changing world challenges these elders while enticing the young to forget what it means to be Diné. Here, these women share what they want the youth to know. I highly recommend this book to those who wish to learn about the past, understand the present, and consider the future."
—Ronald P. Maldonado, Navajo Nation Cultural Resource Supervisor

"The teachings and stories presented here are fascinating and important. When reading them, I heard my granmother's and aunt's voices, connecting me to the past while strengthening my understanding of Navajo culture. It is the women who are the heard and soul of preserving this information as they guide youth into the future. Here that wisdom becomes real. Those interested in a balanced presentation of the difficult, yet rewarding live of Navajo elders will be highly rewarded by learning from this book"
—Charlotte Nez Lacy, Heritage Language Educator/Translator

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front cover of Power, Prayers, and Protection
Power, Prayers, and Protection
A Cultural History of the Utah San Juan River Navajo
Robert S. McPherson
University Press of Colorado, 2022
The San Juan River Navajos—residing in the vicinity of Aneth, Montezuma Creek, Bluff, and Tódahidíkáanii—have a fascinating history shaped, in part, by the water they lived near and the land they depended on. Circumscribed by sacred narratives and traditional teachings, the Diné forged a life in this high desert landscape while facing challenges from the environment as well as their neighbors—Utes, Paiutes, Mormons, cowboys, miners, evangelists, agents, government farmers, military personnel, educators, and entrepreneurs of all kinds. Their life has been one of confrontation, change, and adaptation as they explored new paths into the future.
 
Navajo oral tradition is rich in stories and themes that form the basis for ceremonial performance. Everything that is physical, emotional, or spiritual has been placed in this world by the holy people at the time of creation, a process recognized in these accounts and teachings. Each chapter references sacred narratives that provide power through prayers that bring protection and a path for believers to follow. Topics include life on the river before and during the introduction of the white man, efficacy of the chantways, teachings of medicine people, childhood memories, arrival of trading posts, encounters with the automobile and other technology, livestock reduction and its aftermath, and the development of the Aneth oilfield with its ensuing protests. This is the Navajo elders’ story as seen through their eyes and told in their voice.
 
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front cover of Scouting for the Bluecoats
Scouting for the Bluecoats
Navajos, Apaches, and the U.S. Military, 1873–1911
Robert S. McPherson
University Press of Colorado, 2022
"With more than twenty books published about the Navajo people, Robert S. McPherson is one of the most prolific contemporary writers concerning their history and culture. Scouting for the Bluecoats addresses a little-known and, until now, undocumented story of an estimated five hundred Navajos employed by the United States Army, primarily in the campaigns against the Apaches between 1873 and 1886. The author takes us with these scouts as they guide U.S. soldiers into the deserts, canyons, and mountains of New Mexico, Arizona, and Northern Mexico; he also provides a solid context about the origin of the Navajos and Apaches, their intertribal conflicts, and their elements of shared culture. Once again McPherson demonstrates his skill as a master historian, his understanding of these people, and a meaningful context for this long-neglected story of warrior-soldiers whose fieldcraft and dedication proved critical in shaping relations between the military and two Indian tribes in the Southwest."
—Kent Powell, Senior historian at Utah Division of State History and editor of Utah State Historical Quarterly (retired)

"Scouting for the Bluecoats examines the important role that Navajos played in military operations during the last quarter of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries. Unlike the famous Navajo code talkers of World War II, little has been written about these men who served in some of the most challenging and noteworthy struggles against the Apaches. Until now, their story has been forgotten. Navajo skills in understanding and tracking a wily foe across an inhospitable landscape proved to be essential elements in ending the Apache wars. For those interested in the recruitment and deployment of the scouts, measures taken to counter enemy tactics, and the challenge of obtaining recognition for their service, this book is an invaluable source and a must-read for any serious scholar of Navajo history."
—Ronald P. Maldonado, Tribal historic preservation officer (retired), Navajo Nation
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front cover of Stories from the Land
Stories from the Land
A Navajo Reader about Monument Valley
Robert S. McPherson
University Press of Colorado, 2022
Stories from the Land: A Navajo Reader about Monument Valley provides a traditional Navajo view of this iconic landscape and its people. Couched in the oral tradition of the elders, the reader is invited to view their history and culture through the eyes of those born at the turn of the twentieth century before massive inroads from the dominant culture began to erode the old ways. Each chapter follows a chronological sequence beginning with the creation of the world (specifically Monument Valley), teachings about the Anasazi, then later the Long Walk Period and incarceration at Fort Sumner. Subsequent chapters discuss traditional life and values, trading posts and their ties to the community, the devastation of livestock reduction, the film industry during the John Wayne/John Ford years, Anglo induced cultural change, uranium mining, and reaction to the current explosion of tourism. All of this as seen through the eyes of the Navajo people of Monument Valley and filtered through their unique cultural perspective. For the reader interested in authentic Navajo teachings, these people’s ties to the land, and a very different view of the world and how it functions, Stories from the Land offers fascinating insight that is fast disappearing from our world.
 
 
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front cover of Traditional Navajo Teachings
Traditional Navajo Teachings
Sacred Narratives and Ceremonies
Robert S. McPherson
University Press of Colorado, 2020
"The books should be required reading for anyone who comes to teach, practice medicine or work on the Navajo Nation in any capacity- as well as young Navajos who seek a deeper understanding of their culture."
—Cindy Yurth, The Navajo Times

"In Sacred Narratives and Ceremonies, the authors lay the foundation of traditional Navajo beliefs and practices. They provide an inside perspective rarely discussed by non-medicine people and share the beauty and power of a system that unites humans to the holy beings—through teachings, rituals, materials, and daily behavior. This book is pure gold. It is full of traditional wisdom available to those wanting to understand Navajo culture as seen through the eyes of its elders. I highly recommend this book as a treasure trove for the Diné people."
—Clayton Long, participant/creator of the Navajo Rosetta Stone; Bilingual Education Director (retired), San Juan School District, Utah; and curriculum developer for the Navajo Nation
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front cover of Traditional Navajo Teachings
Traditional Navajo Teachings
The Earth Surface People
Robert S. McPherson
University Press of Colorado, 2020
"The Earth Surface People, the final work in this trilogy, provides teachings about Navajo life from cradleboard to grave. Central to all is achieving “Long Life, Happiness” as one moves through various stages of existence. The second half of this book examines thoughts concerning the organization of the human body, sickness, western medicine, and death, all of which are part of the Pollen Path. How one walks this trail to his or her final destination is measured by one’s ability to live through its teachings. The four sacred directions with their associated powers are essential to earth life as outlined through ceremonies and daily practices. Here, one moves on a journey from teachings of the past to issues of the present. This volume is extremely helpful for youth to understand life values and the importance of identity, as well as acting as a reminder for adults of the enabling power of traditional culture."
—Clayton Long, a participant/creator of the Navajo Rosetta Stone; Bilingual Education Director (retired), San Juan School District, Utah; and curriculum developer for the Navajo Nation.
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front cover of Traditional Navajo Teachings
Traditional Navajo Teachings
The Natural World
Robert S. McPherson
University Press of Colorado, 2020

"Navajo teachings provide a classic study of a land-based religion that involves every aspect of the physical world in a spiritual universe. Nothing is too big or small—everything holds a power, provides a teaching, and responds through an inner form. Beyond the material life of daily existence, there lies a world of interconnected relations made apparent in Volume II, The Natural World. This book graphically describes elements of life rooted in the Navajo philosophy of hózhǫ́. A unified harmony results. I highly recommend this book as a study in understanding the power of relationships that populate the Diné worldview."
—Clayton Long, a participant/creator of the Navajo Rosetta Stone; Bilingual Education Director (retired), San Juan School District, Utah; and curriculum developer for the Navajo Nation.

"For days after reading The Natural World, I found myself looking at my surroundings in a different way. The vibrant spirit of the earth and every plant or animal I encountered seemed to glow through a translucent shell. I have always been a nature-lover and gotten a sense of peace from being outdoors, but since reading these beautiful Navajo teachings I am filled with a profound sense of joy and gratitude every time I walk outside."
—Cindy Yurth, The Navajo Times

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